Be Achievement Oriented – Money shouldn’t be your goal; it’s only a way of keeping track of your progress. Make achievement your motivator. Be both patient and persistent, focusing on your objectives, not the obstacles.

Be Unfailingly Optimistic – ‘Make’ the sale happen. Go for the close – ask for it. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Every hurdle cleared is one less obstacle between you and your objective. Should you stumble and fall, always fall forward.

Make Selling Your Lifestyle – Successful sales people make selling a way of life, not just a job. They never stop selling and look for opportunities at every turn. Don’t just work in sales; be a sales professional.

Understand Your Customer’s Motivation – People usually buy on emotion and excitement, not logic and reason. Ask questions to gain insight into what is driving their purchase decision. Milan Kundera, the author of The Unbearable Lightness of Being observed, “The stupidity of people comes from having an answer for everything.” The ability to ask intelligent, relevant, and insightful questions, and actually listen to the answers is supremely valuable and uncommonly rare.

Walk in the Customer’s Shoes – Be sensitive to your customer’s needs. Understand the difference between their ability to buy and desire to buy. There is nothing you can do about their ability to buy. Your goal in selling is to validate the customer’s desire to buy.

Leverage the Strength of Others – Look around you. Most people are blessed to work with an extraordinarily diverse group of people who, both individually and collectively, possess a wealth of knowledge and experience. Never be afraid to ask a co-worker for assistance. Always keep the first point above in mind.